


Meeting the Parents

by brunetteandblond



Series: Moving On [7]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Homophobia, Nicole and Wynonna pretend to be married, Nicole stands up to parents, Wynonna acts super different
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-29 06:39:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16738969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brunetteandblond/pseuds/brunetteandblond
Summary: Nicole's parents come home for a surprise visit and the lies begin. Nicole tells them that she and Wynonna are married and a bunch of other lies to make her life seem less complicated than it really is. But, no matter what she does, her parents aren't impressed. At least Wynonna has her back.Part 7 of the Moving On series but can STAND ALONE. Alice is four in this, which means Waverly and Doc aren't home yet.





	1. the surprise visit (here come the lies)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fauchevalent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fauchevalent/gifts).



“Okay, Sheriff Bossy,” Wynonna muttered under her breath after she was ordered to sit down across from her boss, best friend, and co-parent in Nicole’s office. “What’s shakin?”

The redhead put on her serious face and announced, “We have to talk about Thursday. I know that you said that we should both be home for Thanksgiving, but someone has to work here. What if someone--”

“It’s _Thanksgiving,_ ” The deputy interrupted as she put her feet up on Nicole’s desk. “We need to be home. Alice is getting old enough now to remember the holidays. She’d remember that we weren’t there. She might not ever recover from the trauma.”

Nicole glared at her. “That’s overly dramatic. It’s not that big of a deal.” She understood where the woman was coming from, but she had to be realistic. “Jeremy and Rob--”

“Aren’t _us,_ Haught. Look, I love that they are going to be there with us. But she needs both of us to be there. We’re a family and…” She stopped talking. Wynonna knew that it was stupid for her to care so much. But she was used to this as a kid (and hated it). She took a deep breath, knowing that she was going to have to reveal some of her feelings (which still took a lot of effort for her). “Look, my father was always drunk during these things. And Mama, she tried her best. But she couldn’t keep us together. And then when she left… things weren’t happy at home, okay? But if we really ne--”

“No,” Nicole interrupted and got up from her chair. She felt a wave of emotions. Anger, because Wynonna didn’t deserve what happened to her, and sadness that the brunette still felt the repercussions of a broken home. “You’re right. We should definitely both stay home.”

Wynonna smiled at her appreciatively. She wouldn’t say it out loud, but it meant a lot to her. “Let’s make the new guy work. You can give him something extra for working that day, right? When I worked at Pussy Willows--”

Nicole put her hand up to stop her from continuing. “Nope. Don’t want to hear it. I  already have bad enough memories of that place. Don’t need any more images in my head.”

The brunette snorted and grinned at her. “Maybe next time. I’ve got to go pick up Alice at preschool. See you tonight?”

The sheriff nodded and replied, “I’ll be coming soon after you leave. I'll bring home some food. Thai sound good to you?”

“Perfect,” Wynonna answered as she got up from her chair and left the office (and eventually the station).

Nicole sighed and sat back on her chair. She didn’t even have a minute to herself when the door opened again.

Without looking at who was at her door, she groaned, “Wynonna, I swear to g--” She stopped when she glanced up and saw two people that she was least expecting. She got up from her chair to get closer to the people (to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating). “Mom? Dad?”

“Nicole,” Her father, Richard, greeted stiffly. “It’s good to see you again.”

The redhead stood in front of her parents. They didn’t hug. They hadn’t even touched in years. The last time she spoke to them was when she first moved to Purgatory. But they had gotten into yet another fight and they stopped communicating (which Nicole actually preferred).

“What are you… what are you guys doing here?” Nicole asked as she crossed her arms. After the whole being stunned thing wore off, she was just annoyed (and slightly angry).

Her mother, Sabina, pushed her glasses up her nose. “We haven’t talked in a very long time, Nicole. We thought Thanksgiving would be a better time than any other. We missed you, darling.”

“We tried your house first, Nicky,” her father told her. “But when we got there, someone else was living there. He told us that you lived somewhere else and that I could find you at the station. Peculiar man. Just like this little town of yours. Very… quaint.”

Backward compliments. That was something she definitely didn’t miss about them.

“Yeah, I moved like three or four years ago. But we weren’t talking so…”

“You could have called and let us know,” Her mother muttered. “So that this embarrassing thing didn’t happen. I can imagine what these people are going to say about this. How your own parents didn’t know where you live. This could have been solved with one phone call, Nicole.”

The daughter hid an eye roll. “You could have called me, mother. I’m sorry that you felt embarrassed.”

“So are you going to take us to your house, Nicky?” Her father asked her. “Have you eaten yet?”

Nicole almost physically flinched at the realization that she didn’t live alone. In fact, she lived with her daughter and her friend. Definitely, something her parents wouldn’t approve of. Immediately, she thought of how she could lie to her parents so that they wouldn’t judge her. She knew that it didn’t matter if they knew the whole truth. It wasn't like they came around that often.

“No, I haven’t eaten yet. I was going to bring food home. To my… er… wife. And daughter.”

Her parents gaped at her (like their eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets). Nicole was even worried that they could faint. It was almost comical.

“You have a wife and daughter?” Her mother breathed out and put her hand to her chest like she had learned some news that could give her a heart attack. “And you didn’t let us know? Nicole Rayleigh Haught! What is the matter with you? First, you decide to become a cop! Then, you move to this small town, far away from your family. And now, you get married and have a child without telling us?”

Nicole nodded and frowned. She didn’t have an explanation for it. Honestly, she just didn’t give a shit about letting them know about her life. They didn’t care enough to stay in contact with her either.

“It’s been years, mom. I should have called. You’re right. But it’s already done. Do you want to meet them?”

Her parents turned to look at each other (as if they were considering turning around and never coming back). But eventually, they just nodded and told her that they would follow her car back to her house. Nicole grimaced. She had hoped that they would have gone home. Things were complicated enough without them. And now she had to deal with them along with everything else. She was actually looking forward to Thanksgiving. And now it already seemed ruined.

“Okay, I’ll head out in a second. I just have to use the restroom before we leave,” Nicole lied. Really, she just needed to call Wynonna and warn the poor woman.

She ran to the bathroom and dialed her best friend’s number.

_“Yo, Haught. Is everything okay? Big case come in or something?”_

“Everything’s fine, technically. My parents just showed up out of the blue. And they are coming home with me. And I kinda sorta told them that you’re my wife. And I may have given the impression that Alice is my biological child.”

Wynonna remained silent for a few seconds before replying, _“Fuck.”_

“Yeah. I don’t know why I said that. They… screw with my brain. A lot. I’m so sorry, Earp. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

_“It’s fine, Haught. I’ll try to make the house look a little nicer. Are they staying for…”_

“I think so. Definitely for tomorrow. But I don’t know if they are staying any longer than that. They probably won’t want to. They’re probably only here because they felt guilty. They’ll want to leave after an hour with me.”

_“Okay. Well, come home soon. Alice misses her dad. See you in a bit.”_

Nicole hung up and took some Advil. This was going to be a long night.


	2. Wynonna is the most supportive fake wife ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wynonna meets Nicole's parents. Bad things happen.

The redhead anxiously waited to see her parents’ reaction of the Homestead when she drove up to her house. She got out of her car and carried the two boxes of pizza. She knew that her parents would judge her for not making food, but she really didn’t want to put any effort into making something her parents were going to inevitably hate.

She saw her parents look at the land and frown slightly. They were probably expecting more. Which made Nicole angry. But there wasn’t anything she could do about it at the time. Besides, she knew the worst was yet to come.

Her parents followed her to the door and into the house.

“Daddy!” Alice cheered when the door opened and she ran to Nicole. She wrapped her four-year-old arms around the sheriff’s waist.

“Hey, girlie!” Nicole chuckled and felt a little calmer in the arms of her daughter. She noticed that her daughter saw the two older people behind her. The redhead cleared her throat and said, “Alice, these people are my parents. They are your… grandparents.”

Her parents attempted to smile at the girl, but Alice didn’t return it. Honestly, the elderly people scared the young girl.

“Hau-- Nicole,” Wynonna corrected herself as she approached the group. “Let me help you with those boxes. I brought two chairs to the table.” She took the boxes and turned to the redhead’s parents, smiled softly, and said, “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Haught. I’m Wynonna. It’s good to finally meet you.”

Nicole couldn’t help but notice Wynonna’s change in personality. The woman changed into more conservative clothes and acted more polite. It was weird (unbelievably so). Nicole felt bad that the brunette felt like she had to change for her parents (but she also couldn’t help being grateful).

“Wynonna,” Nicole’s father said as he shook the woman’s hand. “Thank you for letting us stay in your lovely home. Could you guide me to the room that my wife and I will be staying in so that I could drop off my luggage?”

The deputy nodded. “Let me just put these in the kitchen and then I’ll show you the room.” She walked off to the kitchen with Alice trailing behind her.

“She seems…” Her mother murmured once Wynonna was out of earshot. “Nice.”

“She is,” Nicole stated firmly. “Let’s go to the kitchen and serve some food, mom. And please be kind with Wynonna. We’re already married. It’s not like your opinion would affect anything.”

Her mother raised an eyebrow but followed her daughter to the kitchen. They bumped into Wynonna for a second before the woman took off and led her best friend’s father to Alice’s bedroom, where they would be sleeping. 

* * *

The dinner was incredibly tense and awkward. If someone tried to speak, the conversation would end as fast as it started. Nicole was angry at her parents, Wynonna was utterly confused, and her parents, they still had a huge chip on their shoulders.

“So, Wynonna,” Nicole’s mother started as she cut up her slice of pizza (with silverware). “What exactly do you do?”

The brunette swallowed her bite and anxiously answered, “I’m a Deputy at the station. I work with Nicole. She’s actually my boss. I was very proud of her when she became sher—“

“Is that how you two met?” Richard interrupted his ‘daughter-in-law.’

The two women shared a small look before Wynonna replied, “Yes, Sir. I was a deputy marshal for a government division when we first met.”

“So you weren’t born here?” Sabina interrogated with a suspicious frown that wouldn’t leave her face.

Wynonna started to shake her leg, becoming worried. She already felt like she didn’t deserve Nicole. But she didn’t want her best friend’s parents to think the same way. For some reason she couldn’t comprehend herself, she cared about what Nicole’s parents thought of her.

“No, I grew up in this town,” She explained carefully, thinking about every word before she said it. “After I graduated High School, I left for a while. I returned around six or so years ago. ‘Bout when Nicole came.”

“Do you have any family that still lives here?” Nicole’s mother asked.

Wynonna immediately thought about Waverly and even was about to say her sister’s name, but she stopped herself. She didn’t know what to say.

Nicole recognized what happened and said, “Mom, Dad. Please, give it a rest. I’m sure you both will be able to get to know her without an interrogation. How long are you two planning on staying anyway?”

Richard answered, “We’re planning on driving back Friday. Unless… you both have necessary plans that you need to attend to.”

Nicole sighed but shook her head. It wasn’t that bad. Only two nights.

“Our friends celebrate Thanksgiving with us,” The redhead explained to her parents. “Jeremy, his husband, and their son, Henry. We are very close families.”

“Hmmm,” Sabina muttered with her judgmental eyes glaring at them. “I’m guessing that homosexual families must stay together in this small town. Is that how you bonded?”

Nicole dropped her piece of pizza and stared at her mother with disbelief. It wasn’t like her mother was the warmest person ever, but she had forgotten how rude her mother could be. She noticed that Wynonna was looking down at her food like she was the one in trouble. Nicole could tell that the brunette was scared. She seemed to be more afraid of the redhead’s parents than she was of any demons. Nicole cleared her throat and turned to Alice (who looked too terrified to say anything as well), who was holding her mother’s hand.

“Alice, sweetie, go to the living room,” Nicole told her daughter with a cold tone. “Your mom and I need to talk to my parents alone.”

Immediately, the young girl took off. She didn’t need to be told twice.

“Nicky, your mother meant—"

“No, _dad,_ of course she meant it! This is what she does _every goddamn_ time I talk to her!” Nicole interrupted and raised her voice. Wynonna hadn’t seen her this angry since Waverly and Doc had first gone missing. Nicole turned to her mother with fire in her eyes. “You can’t control me anymore! Like it or not, I’m happy here! I made a great decision. I know you just want me to admit that I should have stayed with you. But I will never do that. I’m _lucky_ to have met Wynonna. And Alice brings me more joy than almost anything.”

Sabina snorted and crossed her arms. She didn’t even flinch. “Nicole, don’t be hysterical. Look at your wife. She’s too meek to even say something—"

“Sabina—" Richard tried to interrupt but failed miserably.

Nicole's mother continued, “And look at you both! Neither of you wears wedding bands, you don’t touch like a couple, you don’t even smile at each other, and your own child calls you mama and _daddy_ as if she doesn't understand that you both are female. _Daddy_ for goodness sakes. Now, maybe all lesbian relationships are like that. I have no idea.”

Nicole almost growled. She got up from the table and looked as if she was about to pounce. Wynonna quickly got up as well. She didn’t want to say something that the redhead would regret, so she grabbed a hold of Nicole’s hand and kissed her.

The kiss didn’t last long (and it lacked any romantic spark which they were both thankful for), but it calmed Nicole down. It was Wynonna’s quick way to stop Nicole from doing something drastic and to tell her that she was there for her. It might have been a little over the top, but it worked.

But now, it was Wynonna’s turn. Her desire to be liked by Nicole’s parents vanished. Now, all she wanted to do was protect her.

“You’re right, Mr. and Mrs. Haught. Nicole and I don’t have a typical relationship. We don’t live by society’s standards of a heteronormative lifestyle. But who the hell gives a shit? And news flash, assholes, we don’t care what you think! You thought I was meek because I was trying to act that way thinking that I would give a better impression. But this, this is me. I’m loud, I curse, I mess up, and I’m a great mom. And Nicole is a great dad. And as a great parent, I can tell when someone isn’t. And you definitely weren’t. And as a daughter of a broken home and bad parentage, I can recognize it a mile away. Nicole and I work so well together because of that shared past. We raise Alice in a way that we didn’t have the pleasure to get as kids. And you’re going to regret treating Nicole this way one day. Because she’s incredibly special, without you. So either apologize to your daughter or shut the hell up.”

Richard and Sabina stared at Wynonna with complete and utter horror. They definitely weren’t expecting that. And to be honest, Nicole wasn’t expecting that either. Her eyes bubbled up with tears. No one had been that passionate about her. At least, no one other than Waverly. And it meant the absolute world to her.

“Nicole. What do you have to say about that?” Sabina asked, turning to her daughter, hoping that she would back her mother up.

“There was no support,” Nicole choked out after keeping it in for _so long._ “No matter what I wanted to do, what I wanted to be, I was never good enough for you. You couldn’t love me for who I was. I wasn’t what you both wanted. That’s clear. Athlete, lesbian, cop, atheist. I’m the opposite of the perfect child that you made up in your mind. And that desire to be that absurdly perfect person loomed over me for years. And that messed me up for so long. I thought I wasn’t good enough for you. But maybe Wynonna’s right. Maybe I am special. You both just don’t love me enough to see it.”

Nicole felt empowered and strong. She didn’t care what her parents did. She finally let them know how she felt, and it was amazing.

“Richard, darling, I don’t think we’re welcome here,” Sabina whispered to her husband, astonished and terrified by what had just occurred. “I’m going to go get our bags.” She quickly left the room, causing an awkward silence.

Richard sighed as if he was defeated. “Your mother has had all these expectations ever since you were little, Nicky. We put a lot of pressure on you. I know. But it was because we love you. I know it doesn’t seem like it…”

“No, it doesn’t,” Nicole replied and wiped the tears that fell down her cheeks. “I chose my family here, Dad. I’ll be okay.”

“I know,” He replied simply. “You never really needed us.” And with that statement, he got up and headed toward the door. Wynonna and Nicole followed behind.

Sabina came down the stairs with the luggage and left without saying another word. Richard gave the two woman a solemn smile before following right behind her. The door closed and everything was quiet again.

“Haught, I—“ Wynonna stopped, not knowing what to say about what had just happened.

Nicole just turned to look at the brunette and pulled her into a tight embrace. They rarely were this close and it was as if their hug marked a change in their relationship. It solidified their unspoken love for each other.

“Thank you,” She whispered into Wynonna’s ear.

Before Wynonna could tell her that it wasn’t a big deal, Alice ran over and wrapped her small arms around the both of them.

“Yay, they’re gone!” Alice cheered happily.

Nicole and Wynonna laughed and couldn’t help being just as excited as their daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please review if you can! If you liked this, go read my other one-shots. They're pretty cool.
> 
> Ooh, and if you have any other comments or if you have any suggestions/requests, you can message me in tumblr @haught-n-cold-gay
> 
> I'd love to hear from you!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please review if you can! If you liked this, go read my other one-shots. They're pretty cool.
> 
> Ooh, and if you have any other comments or if you have any suggestions/requests, you can message me in tumblr @haught-n-cold-gay
> 
> I'd love to hear from you!


End file.
